The man's name was Adelphius, who also, with a manner of sympathy, received him who had been carried off into exile, and the man was distinguished by the eminence of those honored with the episcopate. And a certain thought wore this man out and consumed him, not inappropriately pricking him, this biting and unsettling thought suggesting and urging him to seek to learn with all eagerness of what glory and honor my most beloved and precious John had attained, and what rank he had been allotted, he for whom there were so many labors through his sermons, and writings, and a whole world enlightened and turned toward virtue and divine zeal. Thus, as the thought was distressing and wearing out the aforementioned Adelphius, so that he might also perceive some more divine assistance, as he more intently applied himself to supplication and persevered in prayers and entreaties, he seemed somehow to have been in ecstasy and to have advanced to the heavenly realms, and a certain youth in white garments, taking him by the hand, led him to this place filled with the most brilliant light, where the whole choir of true high priests, who were intimate with God, dwelt. And again the same perplexity and confusion, since the one who was longed for was not seen with them. And when he mentioned him by name and he was not there, he was then sent on his way, grieving, full of distress and dejection, not seeing the thrice-longed-for person among those he had hoped for, him who was truly golden both in words and in deeds. Another youth of the same appearance as the one seen before, serving in this aforementioned much-lit dwelling, 311 seeing the dejection of his countenance, asked to learn the reason. But he did not deign to answer, being overcome with grief. But when the other pressed more vehemently, seeking to learn what was causing such great distress, and saying that at the same time it was not right for him to depart grieving, he, still distraught and groaning somewhat, said only this: that "I have not seen John, the bishop of Constantinople, living together with those present." And the other immediately replied, saying: "And do you think that anyone in the body can see him where he is and the rank he has shared in? That most blessed nature is not present here, and, it is a bold thing to say, is above man." Receiving this most true answer to the thought that had been doubting and vexing him, this holy Adelphius was glorifying God, who repays many times over the rewards of those who faithfully hope, and honors them with the highest graces beyond the mind's comprehension. But when divine justice justly judged that madwoman and persecutor, and righteously doomed her to end her life miserably as food for worms, so that there was no room even for lamentations because of the continuity of her own evils, but her body was at last also struck by God with an incurable and unsightly plague, as she paid back what she had seized and displayed what she had done against the saint; and Theophilus had fallen into a stone-like disease, such as afflictions of the kidneys, and violently had his life cut short; and the rest of the accusers, those who had contrived the saint's exile, in turn exchanged life for death by various plagues and heaven-sent diseases; and the emperor Arcadius himself had drunk the cup of death, common and owed to all; and Theodosius, his son, had inherited the paternal scepter; in the intervening time, a sacred and holy man, nourished by the teaching milk of the great John, was by divine decree advanced to be high priest of God. He was Proclus, who had long ago served him in the most sacred mysteries while he was still alive. Therefore, in the fourth year of his high priesthood, the heartfelt feeling left in the church, like some smoldering embers of memory, was moved by the divine spirit and flared up, when it saw, as it were, a clear sky seizing and illuminating the world and the clouds of envy scattered—envy, which is accustomed to be aroused by opposition, but to abate and wither away at what is out of the way—at which time a praiseworthy deed, being contemplated in itself, causes its doer to be admired. Therefore, considering this a suitable time for themselves for frankness and for release from difficulties, they made a public embassy to the one presiding over sacred affairs, begging to persuade the emperor's

Ἀδέλφιος ὄνομα τῷ ἀνδρί, ὃς καὶ ὑπερόριον ἀπενηνεγμένον τρόπῳ συμπαθείας ἐδέξατο καὶ τῶν ἐπισκοπῇ τιμωμένων περιφανείᾳ ἐπίσημος ὁ ἀνήρ. Καὶ ἔτρυχε τοῦτον λογισμός τις καὶ ἐδαπάνα οὐκ ἔξω τοῦ πρέποντος ὑπονύττων τοῦτο ὑποτιθεμένου τοῦ δάκνοντος λογισμοῦ καὶ σαλεύοντος καὶ μαθεῖν ἀναζητοῦντος πάσῃ σπουδῇ ποίας ἄρα δόξης τε καὶ τιμῆς ὁ φίλτατός μοι καὶ τίμιος Ἰωάννης, καὶ τίνος τάξεως ἔλαχεν, ᾧ πολλοί τινες διὰ τῶν λόγων πόνοι καὶ συγγραφαὶ καὶ κόσμος ὅλος πεφωτισμένος καὶ πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ θεῖον ζῆλον ἐπεστραμμένος. Οὕτως αὐτὸν τὸν εἰρημένον Ἀδέλφιον τοῦ λογισμοῦ ἐκθλίβοντός τε καὶ κατατρύχοντος, ἵνα καί τινος θειοτέρας ἀντιλήψεως αἴσθηται, συντονώτερόν τε καὶ προσκειμένου τῇ ἱκεσίᾳ καὶ ταῖς εὐχαῖς ἐγκαρτεροῦντος καὶ δεομένου ἔδοξέ πως ἐξεστηκέναι καὶ προβῆναι τοῖς οὐρανίοις τῆς τε χειρὸς λαβομένου τινὸς αὐτὸν νεανίου λευχείμονος πρὸς χῶρον ἀγαγεῖν τοῦτον φωτὸς λαμπροτάτου ὑπόπλεων, οὗ πᾶς ὁ τῶν θεῷ ᾠκειωμένων καὶ ἀληθῶν ἀρχιερέων ἐνεσκήνου χορός. Καὶ πάλιν ἡ αὐτὴ ἀπορία καὶ σύγχυσις μὴ συνορωμένου τοῦ ποθουμένου. Ὡς δὲ καὶ ἐξ ὀνόματος ἐμέμνητο καὶ οὐκ ἦν καὶ λοιπὸν στυγνάζων ἐπέμπετο πλήρης ἀνίας καὶ κατηφείας τὸ τριπόθητον χρῆμα μὴ συνορῶν, οἷς ἐπήλπιζε, τὸν χρυσοῦν ὄντως καὶ λόγοις καὶ πράξεσιν, ἕτερός τις τῆς αὐτῆς ὄψεως νεανίας τῆς προοφθείσης τῇ εἰρημένῃ ταύτῃ πολυφώτῳ οἰκίᾳ ὑπηρετῶν 311 τὸ κατηφὲς τῆς ὄψεως θεασάμενος ἠρώτα τὸν τρόπον ἀναμαθεῖν. Ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀποκρίσεως ἠξίου τῇ λύπῃ κατεσχημένος. Τοῦ δὲ σφοδρότερον ἐγκειμένου καὶ μαθεῖν ζητοῦντος τὶ τὸ τὴν τοσαύτην ποιοῦν ἀνίαν καὶ ἅμα οὐδὲ δίκαιον ἀπιέναι λυπούμενον τοῦτο μόνον εἰπεῖν ἔτι ἀλύοντα καὶ ποσῶς ἐπιστένοντα ὅτι φησὶ τὸν Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐπίσκοπον Ἰωάννην οὐχ ἑώρακα συνδιαιτώμενον τοῖς παροῦσι. Καὶ τὸν εὐθέως ὑπολαβόντα εἰπεῖν· καὶ οἴει τοῦτόν τινα τῶν ἐν σώματι ὅπου ποτ' ἔστιν ἐκεῖνος ἰδεῖν καὶ ἧς μετέσχηκε τάξεως; Καὶ οὐ παρέστηκεν ἡ μακαριωτάτη φύσις ἐκείνη, καὶ τολμηρὸν εἰπεῖν ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον. Ταύτην λαβὼν τοῦ τέως ἐνδοιαζομένου καὶ τυραννοῦντος τὸν λογισμὸν ὁ ἱερὸς οὗτος Ἀδέλφιος ἀληθεστάτην ἀπόκρισιν δοξάζων ἦν τὸν Θεόν, τὸν πολλαπλασίως ἀποδιδόντα τῶν πιστῶς ἐλπιζομένων τὰς ἀμοιβὰς καὶ χάρισι τιμῶντα ταῖς ἀνωτάτω καὶ νοῦ καταλήψεως. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ θεία δίκη τὴν μαινάδα ἐκείνην καὶ διώκτριαν δικαίως ἐδίκασε καὶ σκωλήκων βρώσει τὸν βίον οἰκτρῶς ἐδικαίωσε καταστρέψαι ὥστε μηδὲ θρήνοις γενέσθαι χώραν διὰ τὸ συνεχὲς τῶν οἰκείων αὐτῆς κακῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ σῶμα τελευταῖον παρὰ θεοῦ πλήττεται πληγὴν ἀνίατόν τε καὶ δυσθεώρητον αὐτῆς ἀποτινούσης ἃ ἥρπασε καὶ θριαμβευούσης ἃ εἰς τὸν ἅγιον ἔδρασε Θεοφίλου τε λιθώδει καὶ οἷα τὰ ἐκ νεφρῶν πάθη περιπεσόντος καὶ βιαίως τὸ ζῆν ἀπορρήξαντος τῶν τε λοιπῶν κατηγόρων, τῶν τὴν ἐξορίαν ἐξηρτυκότων τοῦ ἁγίου, αὖθις διαφόροις πληγαῖς καὶ νόσοις θεηλάτοις τῆς ζωῆς τὸν θάνατον ἀνταλλαττομένων, αὐτοῦ δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀρκαδίου τὸ κοινὸν καὶ πᾶσιν ὀφειλόμενον πιόντος τοῦ θανάτου ποτήριον καὶ Θεοδοσίου, τοῦ ἐκείνου παιδός, τὰ πατρῷα σκῆπτρα κληρωσαμένου, ὁ μεταξὺ χρόνος εἰς ἀρχιερέα θεοῦ θείᾳ ψήφῳ προὐβάλλετο ἄνδρα ἱερόν τε καὶ ἅγιον τῷ διδασκαλικῷ τοῦ μεγάλου Ἰωάννου γάλακτι ἐκτραφέντα. Πρόκλος δὲ ἦν ὁ πάλαι περιόντι τὰ μυστικώτατα τούτῳ διακονησάμενος. Τῷ τοίνυν τετάρτῳ ἔτει τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀρχιερατείας τὸ καταλειφθὲν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐγκάρδιον, οἷόν τι μνήμης ἐμπύρευμα, θείῳ πνεύματι κινηθέν τε καὶ ἀναζέσαν ὡς εἶδεν ὥσπερ αἰθρίαν τὸν κόσμον ἐπιλαβοῦσαν καὶ ἀναλάμψασαν καὶ τὰ τοῦ φθόνου διασκεδασθέντα νέφη, ὃς πρὸς μὲν τὸ ἀντιβαῖνον εἴωθε διεγείρεσθαι, πρὸς δὲ τὸ ἐκποδὼν ὃν ὑπολωφᾶν καὶ μαραίνεσθαι, ἡνίκα ἡ ἐπαινετὴ πρᾶξις ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς θεωρουμένη θαυμάζεσθαι τὸν ἐργάτην ποιεῖ. Τοῦτον οὖν τὸν καιρὸν παρρησίας ἑαυτοῖς καὶ δυσχερῶν ἀπολύσεως νομίσαντες ἐπιτήδειον, πάνδημον ἐποιοῦντο πρεσβείαν πρὸς τὸν τῶν ἱερῶν προεστῶτα πραγμάτων πεῖσαι δεόμενοι τὴν βασιλέως